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Great Expectations is a story about love
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. This is the alternative Section B essay option for this text.
'Great Expectations is a story about love.' How far do you agree with this view? Explore at least two moments from the novel to support your ideas.
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Study the marking See what earns credit and compare it with a full-mark answer.
Marking points
- 1 Addresses how far the novel is a story about love.
- 2 Uses at least two moments from the novel.
- 3 Analyses language/form/structure and context.
- 4 Maintains accurate written expression for SPaG credit.
Full-mark answer
A strong answer would balance romantic love with family, loyalty and damaged love, using moments involving Estella, Miss Havisham, Joe, Biddy and Magwitch. It would analyse Dickens's language of tenderness, obsession and social ambition, then judge the statement rather than simply agree.
Why this answer loses marks
I agree because Pip loves Estella.
This is one-sided and narrow: it ignores other kinds of love and does not weigh the statement through methods and context.